


Say You'll Remember Me

by nekocrouton



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Inspired by Music, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 00:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5070424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekocrouton/pseuds/nekocrouton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the song 'Wildest Dreams' by Taylor Swift.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNBcFueSaAs</p><p>This is something that I was just kind of playing around with.  It's not a cohesive fanfiction by any means, but more like little vignettes of scenes mostly from Ellis' view.  I hope that it makes sense and that someone likes it, even though the end kind of killed me to write.  Nick/Ellis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say You'll Remember Me

Ellis remembers seeing Nick not long after he had met him and the others at the Vannah. He looked pissed off, which was pretty understandable since they had _just_ been abandoned by a helicopter on the top of a burning building. He recalls the way that Nick dragged his gold ring-adorned hand angrily through his dark, slick hair while standing against the backdrop of the blue Savannah sky intermingled with swirling, grey plumes of smoke. He remembers being unable to turn away from the taller, white-suited man, thinking to himself, _Now that there is a handsome lookin’ guy._ He’s also reminded of the icy cold glare that was given to him not soon after, when Nick _finally_ glanced over and caught him staring at him, and the hot flush of his cheeks as they burned red in embarrassment.

 

\-----

 

Ellis looks back to when they entered the hotel stricken with fire and zombies, armed only with what they found outside on the scant table. He remembers the thoughtful expression on Nick’s face as they come across a map in one of the rooms, and when Nick announced, “Looks like New Orleans is the last place on Earth that can get us out alive,” he was ready to follow the other man to the end of the world if he needed to. It was already hell on Earth after all, he could either take his chances with the zombies or take his chances with a stranger. That wasn’t a hard decision for him to make.

 

\-----

 

Ellis thinks about the time when they fought their way to the gun shop, and Nick admitted lowly, “I’m not legally allowed to own a gun… hope everyone’s okay with that.” His first thought shouldn’t have been, _Damn, that’s badass._ But it was. And he was all right with that as well. Especially after hearing the sound of Nick’s dusky laugh when he picked up the silver Magnum pistol from the display case followed by a very Northern-sounding, “Nice.”

 

\-----

 

Ellis recalls a time when it was late at night and he couldn’t sleep. When their escape plan had gone to shit and they had ended up fighting for their lives through Whispering Oaks, he thought that it was pretty _cool_ to be killing zombies at an amusement park. At first, anyway. But then it had started to wear on him, just like it had for the rest of his team. It seemed like it must have been affecting Nick too, because when he got up from his corner of the saferoom, he could smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air. He looked over towards the red steel door and saw Nick standing there with a cigarette pinched in between his fingers, exhaling smoke through the bars of the small window. “Don’t ya know that smokin’s bad fer ya?” He chided quietly as he moved closer to where the other man stood, while trying not to wake up his other teammates. Ellis got a shrug of shoulders in reply while Nick took another drag off of the cig. “World’s gone to shit, what does it matter if cancer gets me too?” Ellis blinked wordlessly as smoke blew out of Nick’s mouth with the harsh words. “Well shit man, _I_ care.” He then remembers the strong taste of tobacco on Nick’s lips and the firm hold on his jaw as they kissed in the moonlight.

 

\-----

 

Ellis reminisces about that time when he and Nick had split up from Coach and Ro to go search for supplies in the swamp, moving from small shack to small shack, some of them half-submerged in water while some of them stood on dry land. He didn’t protest when Nick had closed them off in a windowless bedroom, pushing a dresser against the door so that they were safe from what lay in wait for them outside. “You’re gonna be sore tomorrow, you’re sure you’re okay with that?” “Shit yeah, I trust ya man. An’ no one’s gotta know what we’ve been doin’, it’s jus’ between the two of us.” He remembers the blissful heat of Nick’s skin against his, the way that Nick’s fingers tugged and pulled at his hair, and the increasing rasp of Nick’s voice as he got closer to much-needed release. Despite the humidity hanging in the air so thickly that it felt like it was going to start _dripping down,_ Ellis wouldn’t have rather been anywhere else.

 

\-----

 

“Jesus Christ Ellis, why’d you do that?” Nick asked in a panicked voice as he knelt on the ground while holding the broken mechanic gingerly in his arms. “Getting in between me and that Tank? That was fucking _suicide_ , kiddo. You’re not goddamn invincible you know! I could’ve held my own, _shit_.”

 

Ellis wheezed as he glanced up at Nick, barely able to keep his eyes open. He remembered passing out briefly due to the white-hot pain when the Tank’s fist hit him directly in the chest. But now, he felt kind of _light_ , like he could just float out of Nick’s grasp and somehow be okay. “I-I didn’t want that son of a bitch gettin’ ya,” he got out quietly, his voice making a sickly squeak with each forceful exhale of breath. “An’ looks like he didn’t.” He gave Nick the best grin that he could, despite the circumstances.

 

“You’re fucking stupid, you know that?” Nick got out angrily, trying to hide how he _really_ felt, while hot tears threatened to prick the corners of his eyes. “The helicopter is _right_ over there, and you go and pull this shit. Un-fucking-believable. We’ll get you on it, and get you some medical attention, and you’ll be right as rain, okay sport?”

 

Ellis shook his head while he moved a hand to lightly grasp at Nick’s arm. Black spots were starting to dot his vision, and he was fading fast. “Jus’ promise me… that’ll you’ll always remember me, ‘kay?”

 

The gravity of the situation finally hit Nick, and he met Ellis’ rapidly drooping baby blue eyes with his own ice blue ones, now glassy with tears of frustration. “Yeah,” he reassured, giving a nod of his head. “Of course I will, Ellis.”

 

Ellis smiled weakly. “Good. Now gimme a kiss.”

 

Nick obliged, leaning in and letting their lips meet for what would be the last time ever. When he lifted his head back up, Ellis had already left the world of the living. He was kind of glad though, that the kid couldn’t hear his sobs and cries of grief as he was tugged onto the rescue helicopter.

 

Nick did keep his promise though, never letting himself forget about Ellis. Those memories were doomed to haunt him forever whether he wanted them to or not.


End file.
